The Greenwood Companion to Shakespeare: A Comprehensive Guide for Students [4 volumes]

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Designed and written for students, this four-volume set introduces the genres and major works that constitute Shakespeare's formidable canon. Whether readers are beginning with one of the tragedies, a history play, a comedy, or the poems, they will find a full volume devoted to each genre, with thorough analysis of the major works within. The set contains 77 essays, all written by experts, thus offering a guide to the perplexed. Each analytical essay is written with expertise and insight to guide the reader through the poem or play and to foster the full appreciation of both the content and context of the work. Full discussion is given to plot synopsis, character and thematic development, and historical context. In addition, the key passages, which are often the most pivotal yet challenging for readers, are explicated with detailed discussions. The organizational approach of this resource will help readers fully appreciate not only relationships between characters within plays but also between plays. Teachers will value this approach in encouraging students to compare and contrast and develop critical thinking. Additional resources are given for research and classroom assignments, and the first volume includes overview essays on major topics related to Shakespeare and his world: the Elizabethan age, his life, the theater of the era, his texts, and his language. Designed and written to meet the needs of students, this 4-volume set clearly and thoughtfully introduces the genres and major works that constitute Shakespeare's formidable canon. Each volume is devoted to a particular genre: ; Volume I: Overviews and the History Plays ; Volume II: The Comedies ; Volume III: The Tragedies ; Volume IV: The Romances and Poetry. Within each volume are essays on particular works. These essays provide plot summaries, analyses of themes and characters, and discussions of historical contexts. In addition, the essays offer detailed explications of key passages, thus illuminating Shakespeare's most critical yet challenging material. The organization of this companion underscores the relationships among characters and plays and encourages students to engage in comparative studies and critical thinking. Additional resources are given for research and classroom assignments, and the first volume includes essays on broad topics related to Shakespeare and his milieu. Volume I: Overviews and the History Plays This volume begins with essays on a number of broad topics related to Shakespeare and his world, including his era, his text, the theater, his life, and his language. Shakespeare's history plays brilliantly expose the motivations of great kings and offer timeless political commentary. But because his material is unfamiliar to students, the histories are among his most challenging works. The essays in this volume treat such demanding plays as: ; Henry VI, Parts I, II, and III ; Henry IV, Parts I and II ; Richard III ; And others. Volume II: The Comedies Among the most enjoyed and performed plays in the world, Shakespeare's comedies capture the spirit of his age and offer students a wealth of information about his era. This volume gives attention to such widely read plays as: ; A Midsummer Night's Dream ; As You Like It ; The Merry Wives of Windsor ; The Taming of the Shrew ; And others. Volume III: The Tragedies Shakespeare's tragedies are among the most sublime and influential works ever written. But because of the themes and issues they address, they are also among the most difficult. Included in this volume are extended analytical essays on such masterpieces as: ; Hamlet ; King Lear ; Macbeth ; Othello ; And others. Volume IV: The Romances and Poetry The Romances reveal Shakespeare's boundless imagination and creativity. Discussed in this volume are such plays as: ; The Winter's Tale ; The Tempest ; And others. And though best known today as the world's greatest playwright, Shakespeare wrote a number of poems that would have easily secured his literary reputation. While his language has unsurpassed beauty, it also poses problems for modern readers. This volume explores the sonnets in a lengthy essay and individually profiles 33 of the most studied ones. It also separately covers such major poetic achievements as: A Lover's Complaint ; The Rape of Lucrece ; Venus and Adonis ; The Phoenix and the Turtle ; The Passionate Pilgrim In addition, an appendix provides a selected annotated listing of good Web sites offering resources on Shakespeare.

Reviews

[T]his set offers background essays on Renaissance literary culture and on biographical, theatrical, and linguistic matters.Those who teach undergraduate Shakespeare courses should familiarize themselves with these volumes, which may tempt beginning students with misappropriation. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-/upper-division undergraduates; general readers. * Choice *
While there are many valuable resources on English literature's preeminent icon, this ranks among the most-user friendly. The combined talents of 41 mostly American specialits have produced 77 essays arranged by genre into four volumes (Overviews and the History Plays, The Comedies, The Tragedies, The Romances and Poetry). Certain to be in high demand. * Library Journal *
To help students approach Shakespeare's works without shuddering fear, this comprehensive companion provides a grounding in the author's life and work. * Reference & Research Book News *
By collecting guides to all of Shakespeare's works into a single work and imposing a strict order and consistent approach, the Greenwood Companion provides students with a synoptic view of the Shakesperean corpus that is singularly valuable. It can be recommended without hesitation for undergraduates, as well as advanced high school students and general readers. * Reference & User Services Quarterly *
The four-volume reference set provides a wealth of information about Shakespeare and the origin and essence of his canon.The books are well written and easy to comprehend. Although the audience is students, teachers and serious scholars will get the most use out of them. An essential purchase for high school and public libraries, the set helps demystify Shakespeare's major works. * VOYA *
This new set is aimed at high-school and college students in need of clear introductory-level outlines of Shakespeare's major works.This set is very useful for the student or general reader and stands out in a surprisingly uncrowded market. Although there is no shortage of criticism on Shakespeare's major works aimed at students, such as A Companion to Shakespeare's Works (Blackwell, 2003) or Gale's Shakespearean Criticism series, a basic plot outline and simple analysis can be difficult to find. Befuddled students trying to translate the Bard's antiquated terminology often need some guidance, and this set provides just such assistance. Mining similar territory are the single-topic, more detailed Cliffs Notes series or the less-extensive Masterplots series (Salem). Highly recommended for all high-school, college, and public libraries. * Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin *
This extremely well done set lives up to its subtitle. The volumes are organized by genre beginning with Overviews and the History Plays. The essays in that volume offer information on Shakespeare's life, the age and culture in which he lived, the Elizabethan and Jacobean theater, the texts and publication histories of the plays, and the English language of the era. These pieces are followed by detailed articles about the history plays. The comedies and the tragedies are discussed in volumes 2 and 3, respectively. The final volume includes articles on the romances, the sonnets, and the Bard's longer poems.The scholarship is impressive and up-to-date and the writing is clear and accessible.This set is more comprehensive than Shakespeare for Students (Gale, 2000) and would be an excellent addition to any collection. * School Library Journal *
If it's a definitive and comprehensive student's reference you seek to Shakespeare, for either advanced high school through college level grades, then Greenwood's weighty 4-volume Companion to Shakespeare: A Comprehensive Guide for Students is the item of choice. Overviews of the history, comedy, tragedy and romantic writings of Shakespeare offer students scene-by-scence analysis of plots, as well as a general overview summary of each work. Themes, interpretations of meaning, reviews of controversies surrounding each work are provided in clear, scholarly analysis. An exquisite interplay of critical thinking and analysis encourages college-level students to delve into Shakespeare's skills and literary devices. * MBR Bookwatch *

Author Bio

Joseph Rosenblum is Lecturer in English at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His many books include A Bibliographic History of the Book (1995), American Book Collectors and Bibliographers (1994-1997), and Shakespeare: An Annotated Bibliography (1992). He has also published in such journals as Shakespeare Quarterly, Dickens Quarterly, and Studies in Short Fiction. He was the Head of the Reference Department of the Guilford College Library and was a Senior Reference Librarian at the University of Mississippi.